Hydrant



lQN@ MOfleL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. MEAD.

HYDRANT. e 910.349.230. Patented Sept. 14, 1886.`

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J MEAD.

HYDRANT.

6. h oo w l 1 gg/Ing UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MEAD, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

HYDRANT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 349,230, datedSeptember 14,1886.

Application filed February 25, 1886. Serial No. 193,107. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN MEAD, of Detroit, in the county of Vayne andState of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements inHydrants; and I do hereby declare that the followingI is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in hydrants; and ithas particular reference to that class of hydrants known as lire-plugsor dre-hydrants.

rIhe most improved fire-hydrants known in Jthe state of the art at thepresent day are provided, in addition to the main valve, with what iscalled a supplemental valve, the principal object of which is to permitthe removal of a hydrant for the purpose of repair or otherwise without4shutting off the water yfrom the main, said supplemental valve being soarranged that it works automatically and Without interfering with thefunction of the main valve.

In the following specification I describe as part of my invention asupplemental valve of an improved construction, which I consider topresent decided advantages over the constructions now in use or knownand of which I have any knowledge. Farther on I alsodescribe an improvedconstruction ofthe wastevalve, which forms an essential part of allfire-` hydrants by permitting the Water remaining in the stock of thehydrant after the water is shut off to leak into the ground, thuspreventing.

the hydrant from freezing up in cold weather.

In the drawings which accompany this speci` fication, Figure l is avertical cent-ral section of my improved hydrant. Fig. 2 is a moreenlarged vertical central section showing only the lower end of thehydrant, in which the waste-valve is located. Fig. 3, is a horizontalcross-section on the line a: :v in Fig. 2.

A is the'stand-pipe or stock of the hydrant. B is the cap, removablysecured thereon. C is aloose spindle supported by the cap and providedwith a female thread engaging with the male thread upon the upper end ofthe valverod D. E is a nut arranged to keep the spindle C in place. Fisa stuffing-box, through which the valve-rod passes. G is thedischarge-nozzle. II is the main valve, and I is the frostcase, allthese parts being of any known construct-ion and forming no part ot' myinvention.

K is the elbow connecting the hydrant with the water-main and formingthe base upon which it is supported.

L is the supplemental valve. It is located in the horizontal arm of theelbow, and is secured upon a central valve-stem, M, which slideshorizontally in bearings a e, which permit a sufficient movement of thevalve to open and close the latter freely. These bearings are formed bybrass bushings supported by suitable bridges, b b. I construct the elbowpreferably with a short removable section, K, which is bolted onto themain section of the elbow, and by locating the bridge b in one sectionof the elbow and the bridge b in the other the supplemental valve can bereadily removed by taking the two sections apart. Any other constructionfor this purpose may be used, however. Y

N is a bell-crank located within the bend of the elbow. It is secured bymeans of the pivot-pin c in a recess, d, formed in the angle of theelbow, all so arranged as to permit the bellcrank to turn freely in avertical plane, for the purpose hereinafter described. The arms of thebell-crank are at right angles to each other, or nearly so. Its verticalarm is held in contact by gravity against the inner end of thevalve-stem M, and its horizontal arm extends in proximity tothe lowerend of the main valve, but does not make contact therewith when the mainvalve is fully closed, as shown in Fig. 1. Vhen, however, the main valveis slightly. opened by'turning the spindle with a suitable key, as inthe usual manner, such contact is established and then the fiu'theroperation of opening said mtain valve communicates motion to thebell-crank and transmits it to the valve-stem of the supplemental valve,thus forcing the latter from its seat and admitting water into thehydrant. In closing the main valve the pressure of the water forces thesupplemental valve to close gradually with l the main valve; but onaccount of the lost motion in the bell-crank the supplemental valve willfirst come to its seat before the main valve has fully closed@ It willbe seen that the operation of opening and closing the supplemental Valveis thus IOO made perfectly automatic, and the desired subseqnenee ,inthe opening and closing ot' the two valves (which is intended topreyentthe wasting of water through the waste-oritiee) is likewiseaccomplished, all as has been obtained heretofore; but my improvedconstruction, while it docs not change the vi1/odas operandi, has some,specitie advantages over other constructions. which I will now proceedto explain.

First. Ilerctotore the supplemental valve was placed in the yertieal armof the elbow, (just where I place the main \'al\'e,) and the main valvewas placed above it. This brought the main yalye unich nearer thefrost-line than in my construction; thercl'ore my constrlu-tion presentsa decided advantage in this respect.

Second. Heretolore the supplemental valve operated in a yertiealpositiom anda spring was placed underneath itY to counterbalance,itsweight and assist in closing it. This arrangement ntwessit'ated acomplication ol parts, always liable to get outol' order, t'or reasonswell understood, and as the supplemental valve Iannotbetalenoutaiulrepaired with the same facility as the main yalye, it made the benefitssought to be derived from the use of a supplement'ary yalve more or lessillusory. In my construction the valve is balaneed without a springsimply by supporting it in a` horizontal position, and theretore thevalve is ot' the simplest description, with little or no liability toget out ot' order.

Third. Heretofore the supplemental valve was never supported at alltimes in two stationary bearings. It was therefore liable to bedisplaced. In my improvement the valvestem has two stationary bearingsupon opposite sides of the valve, whieh always guide the valve andprevent it from being displaced in any of its positions.

My improved Waste-valve is arranged and constructed as follows: O is awaste-cock seeu red in the lower end of the hydrantstoek, so as toafford a wastepassage for the water from the hydrant-stock to theexterior in the usual manner. lhe handle l,eontrolling this Wasteeoelc,is provided with aslot,f, which engages with a pin, g, carried by acollar, R. The eollar R being secured upon the valve-stem of the mainvalve, the operation of opening 0r closing said main valve willtherefore operate the handle ofthe waste-cock, all the parts being soarranged that the waste-oook will effect the same results obtainedheretofore by other devices-wthat is, the waste-orifice is kept open aslong as no water is admitted to the hydrant', but is closed as soon aswater is admitted by opening the valves. Heretolbre a ringvalve seenredto the valve-stem and arranged to close and disclose a waste-orifice inthe wall ofthe hydrant was used as a wastefvalve. and this ring-valve.was also used as a means for guiding the stem of the main valve. Insteadofthis I provide the lower end of thehydrant stock with a bridge. S,supporting a brass bushing with a square opening, through which thevalve-stem. which is made square at this end, passes7 and prevents thevalvostem l'ronl turning.

Aperfeet operation ofthe ring-valveforaecomplishing the double duty ol'guiding the main-valve stem` and operating as ay wastevalve, cannot besat'ely relied on under all circumstances, and therefore I consider myconstruction an improvement in thisparticular.

NVhat I Claim as my invention isl. In a lire-hydrant havingamain valveand a supplemental valve, a sulviplemental valve located in thehorizontal arm ofthe elbow, in` dependent of the main valve and at rightangles thereto, substantially as described.

2. In a hre-hydranthaving a lnain valve and a supplemental valve, asupple]ncntalV valve supported and operating horizontallyin thehorizontal arm ofthe elbow at right angles to the main val ve,substantially as described.

3. In a tire-hydrant, the, combinatimi of a main valve operating in. thevertical axis ol' the elbow, a supplemental valve operating in thehorizontal axis of the elbow, and a bell erank or lever in the angle ofthe elbow', all arranged to operate as described.

4. Iln a tire-hydrant, the eombination ol' a main valve operating on avertical valvestem in the vertical axis of the elbow, a supplementalvalve operating on. a horizontal valvestem in the horizontal axis ot'the elbow. and a bell-crank in the angle ofthe elbow andprovided withthe lost motion descrila-d, all substantially as speeitied.

5. In a hydrant', the combimltion, with the main-valve stem providedwithV eollar E, carrying pin y, ofthe waste-eoek O, working in anaperture in the lower end ol` theI hytflrant, and the handle l to saideoel; provided with 'slot f, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

JOHN MFM).

\Vitnesses:

H. S. Semoun, EDMoND SCULLY.

IOC'

